Hi! I'm considering a mobility scooter and have followed you for a while and wanted to get any advice/tips you had on choosing one! I have no cluewwhere to start except I know I need leg room (tall) and ideally want to carry my forearm crutches with me. I recall you mentioning a spreadsheet perhaps? Thanks in advance!!
hi, tysm for reaching out, i hope some of this is helpful! i use(d) the pride mobility go go sport 3-wheel scooter (i still own it, i just only leave the house for doctor's appointments these days, so i take my rollator). a friend of mine during my MA who was using a manual wheelchair with active assist (like, the motor thing that helps on hills) had previously used the same model of scooter. it's a popular one because of the brand, price, compact size, comparatively longer battery life.
i chose a 3-wheel scooter because i'm 5'9" and i knew i would want to extend my legs on either side of the front wheel, with my feet hanging off the front end of the scooter. that worked well for me at the time, but there are definitely times when my leg strength is not compatible with that.
i have knee pain that's worse with bending, which is why i chose a mobility scooter over a manual wheelchair with active assist or a powerchair where i'd be sitting up. i'd used a powerchair with leg supports where my legs could be fully extended, & the back support was a huge plus, but to me the mobility scooter had more space to put my stuff: the basket, bungee corded to the back, & on the platform at my feet.
using my mobility scooter regularly while living in a "walking" university campus & then next to a city center absolutely transformed my life & is the only reason i finished my bachelor's, much less my master's. but the repair issues i experienced with my scooter were devastating to my quality of life. i don't think there's any right or wrong answers, i'm just hoping to give some prompts that help people figure out what they want/need!
one thing to consider for your life is whether you could / want to use a scooter that doesn't disassemble. i was stuck walking to class with my cane for a couple months when my scooter started stalling out dangerously — including in the middle of a crosswalk while the light changed — because the connection point between two pieces got fucked up by bumpy cobblestone pavement, meaning it couldn't get the electricity from place to place. a mechanic got it mostly functional, but i'm still nervous, and if i were well enough to leave the house regularly, i'd be evaluating whether it would be feasible to get a scooter that doesn't disassemble (and it might not be). if i could tell my past self what i know now, i definitely would've considered a scooter that doesn't disassemble during my initial search.
some questions to consider when determining whether you want a scooter that does or doesn't disassemble (in addition to the spreadsheet factors i list later):
where will you be using it? if you plan to use your scooter on a university campus or "walkable" community long-term, you might not need the option of disassembly. if you plan to regularly take the scooter in a car, it might be easier for it to disassemble.
what vehicles are available to you? taking an uber with your scooter or using a small or midsize car is probably only feasible with a scooter that disassembles. a wheelchair van, a truck with a large bed + access to a ramp, or a vehicle with a trailer hitch that can pull the scooter on a trailer bed could probably accommodate a scooter that doesn't disassemble.
what type of surfaces will you drive on? every connection point between pieces is a potential point of damage when the scooter is absorbing heavy forces, such as from a bumpy road. if you plan to predominantly use the scooter indoors or on smooth pavement, those points of weakness are probably irrelevant. if you plan to use the scooter on cobblestone, rough pavement, or "off-roading," consider one that doesn't disassemble.
do you have a budget for repairs after you buy the scooter? would you be able to afford a new scooter if the first one becomes damaged beyond repair or is too unreliable for you to trust, or would you be stuck without the aid you need (the issue i experienced)?
i also switched to predominantly wearing my knee compression sleeves when i was using my mobility scooter and not planning to have to walk much, if at all. KT tape probably would've functioned similarly.
i took a foldable cane alongside my backpack in the front basket, & bungee-corded a foldable lap desk to the back, which i used to put my feet on in class so my knees didn't bend too much. i had a sciatica/sacroiliac support cushion on top of the mobility scooter seat, which added to the height, and i'd stay in my scooter, rotate the chair 90 degrees, and put my feet on the lap desk on the floor. i propped my laptop on a nearby desk or my scooter handlebars (with the key taken out).
my impulse is that you could bungee-cord your forearm crutches to the scooter, i would just experiment with this in a safe place if possible. it would probably involve either threading the bungee cord through a complete arm cuff or wrapping it around the joint of a partial arm cuff...
here's a copy of the spreadsheet i used, feel free to copy it however & wherever!
the factors i considered were:
plane (length) – what are the dimensions of the scooter when assembled?
turn radius – compared to my environment, will i be able to make turns? (eg into & out of my apartment, office, classroom, etc) in classrooms with movable seating, i would sometimes have to rearrange things. for very small rooms/offices, i would park my scooter in the hall & take the key inside with me.
weight – for my life circumstances: how much does the heaviest piece weigh? can i lift that myself to disassemble the scooter? can my husband lift that from the ground into the car trunk? is it a reasonable weight to ask an uber driver to lift for a fairly compensating tip?
disassembly information – how many pieces? what is the disassembly process like? are there written and/or video instructions? is there a time estimate? are tools required? does any aspect of disassembly look inaccessible to me?
distance on a full charge – this is calculated under ideal circumstances: a flat, indoor surface. on less even ground & any sort of incline, this distance sharply decreases. keep this in mind and try to travel on a full charge, carrying a charger with you, if you're going uphill. there is a maximum incline at which the scooter will just stall out
maximum speed – this is also lower on an incline, although i never experienced the same level of issues
price – will you have a prescription? insurance coverage? is the scooter available directly to consumers, or only via medical equipment providers? are there secondhand options? if so, how does that affect warranty? would they require repairs?
ground clearance – how much of an elevation change can the scooter handle; how much of a "bump" can it go up when two sections of sidewalk are different heights. under most circumstances look for around 3-4" ground clearance. there were a couple of places where i would have to lift the back of the scooter to clear a big bump, something else to consider when thinking about the weight
other details – warranty, how many years does the battery last before replacement, consumer reviews, availability of repair information, weight capacity (this might mean the scooter still functions but is out of warranty), is it a non-lithium battery (this is the type allowed on airplanes)
feel free to send me another ask or DM if you have any other questions or there's anything else i can do! i leave you with the wisdom of my first disability studies professor, who used a mobility scooter prior to her powerchair: run people over. with my blessing. 💓
